The people of Winscombe and nearby villages will have to make do without a bank after Lloyds Bank confirmed it will close its branch.

The people of Winscombe and nearby villages will have to make do without a bank after Lloyds Bank confirmed it will close its branch.

The branch will close on May 22, leaving frustrated residents without a bank in Winscombe.

Lloyds cited the use of other branches and the growth of online banking as the reasoning behind withdrawing the Woodborough Road store.

A Lloyds spokesman told the Mercury: “We have made the difficult decision to close the Winscombe branch on May 22.

“This branch has been identified for closure because of the changing way customers choose to bank with us, which has resulted in customers using it less often.

“The majority of customers also now regularly use alternative branches or use other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking to complete their banking needs.”

Lloyds revealed the Winscombe branch has only 15 regular weekly visitors and transactions over the counter have fallen by 16 per cent in the past year.

The spokesman added: “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and have informed customers of the closest alternative branches.”

The spokesman added the village will benefit from a new fleet of mobile branches which will visit Winscombe and other rural parts of North Somerset.

Chairman of Winscombe and Sandford Parish Council, Mike Williamson, said the news was ‘very disappointing’.

He added: “We’re really disappointed the last bank in Winscombe is closing, particularly for our older population who don’t use computers.

“It’s another service taken away from our village and it’s the older population who will feel it the most.

“A few years ago there were four banks in Winscombe but obviously times have changed.

“I understand Lloyds’ reasons for closing the store but in Winscombe we have a lot of older citizens who don’t use online banking.”